It’s God’s World After All

Top Movies for “Earth Day”

There’s many voices that say in order to take care of the Earth we all need to break out our clogs, chow down on some wheat sprouts, and worship Gaia, Mother Earth.

No! We take care of the Earth simply because the God of the Bible has entrusted us with the stewardship of the planet. God told our first parents, Adam and Eve, that they were to take care of the Earth and have dominion over it.

We can celebrate God’s creation without worshiping the creation. And, one way is to celebrate with movies that highlight the delightful, wonderful world God has created for us.

Here are some movies your family will enjoy:

Hubble 3D

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +3

The documentary movie HUBBLE 3D uses the miracle of 3D IMAX technology and real data from the Hubble Telescope to take viewers on a mind-blowing trip through the heavens. This imaginative documentary focuses on some American astronauts fixing the telescope, then uses imaging software to take viewers on a trip throughout the known universe, as recorded by the Hubble telescope’s photos.

Earth

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +3

EARTH is a beautiful documentary that captures the majesty of Creation as the movie follows families of elephants, whales and polar bears. There are two implied environmentalist references to global warming, and very young children may be troubled by a few predator versus prey scenes, but otherwise this is a wonderful family movie.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +3

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS is a very clever, funny and exciting animated tale about an inventor whose new machine changing water into food almost destroys his town. It is a delicious feast for the eyes and the funny bone as well as the heart and mind with a very strong moral worldview that speaks out strongly against gluttony and extols positive family relationships, courage, temperance or self-control, discipline, hard work, and sacrifice.

Eight Below

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +2

EIGHT BELOW is a story about a survival guide who must go back to Antarctica to rescue the sled dogs he had to leave down there. EIGHT BELOW exceeds all expectations. It is an extremely entertaining, exciting, well-acted, and well-directed adventure story with strong moral virtues that families will love.

Madagascar

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +2

MADAGASCAR, the new animated feature from DreamWorks, tells what happens when a zoo-bred lion named Alex and his three friends from the Central Park Zoo find themselves stranded on the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa. MADAGASCAR is laugh-out-loud hilarious, and it contains clear messages urging people to abandon their baser instincts to become civilized, thoughtful, careful, and self-sacrificing.

For All Mankind

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +3

Detailing the lunar exploration missions in the late 60’s and early 70’s, FOR ALL MANKIND is an incredible and wonderful documentary from the archives of NASA. The film footage, narrated by the astronauts, is what they actually saw and said during their voyages. The story moves through each phase of the missions from launch pad to splashdown.

Free Willy

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +3

In desperate need of love and the security of a family, 12-year-old Jesse recognizes similar needs in his new-found friend Willy, a 7000-pound killer whale, living in the North West Adventure Park, and knows there can be only one solution…FREE WILLY. This film is well made and very clean, to the point of being refreshing. FREE WILLY is a great treat and suitable for the entire family.

WALL-E

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +4

WALL*E, the latest animated feature from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures, is about a lonely, lovelorn robot who has the key to the future of the human race and earth. If you’ve been waiting for entertainment that would lift you up, carry you to the outer reaches of imagination, inspire you, fill you with love, joy and happiness, and leave you with a great fantastic crescendo, you might want to see WALL*E.

March of the Penguins

Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +2

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS is an incredible dramatic story of survival, love and new life about the trials and tribulations of Emperor Penguins and their mates and children in the frozen Antarctic wilderness. This is a wonderful movie for families, but parents should prepare their children to deal with some opening comments about millions of years of evolution.